by Dan Simmons
First published 2004
Travelers from humanity's distant future arrive at the walls of ancient Troy, wielding technology so advanced it appears divine to the Bronze Age warriors below. As Achilles rages and Hector prepares his defenses, these temporal visitors begin rewriting the events Homer chronicled in the Iliad. Their interventions transform familiar heroes and battles into something entirely new. The Greeks and Trojans find themselves caught between their destined roles and a future they cannot comprehend. What began as the greatest war story ever told becomes a collision between classical antiquity and far-future science. The travelers must decide whether to preserve the epic they know or forge a different path through history. At stake is not just the fate of Troy, but the very nature of the stories that define civilization.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, epic-fantasy, alternate-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, time-travel
Setting: Troy
Period: Bronze Age, Distant Future
642 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Gollancz